1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to liquid dispensers and more particularly to liquid dispensers that are activated by the rise and fall of a level of water in a reservoir or cup of an apparatus during the spray action of the wash arm of a dishwasher.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Domestic dishwashing machines are typically supplied with a rinse additive by one of two means. The first is through a solid rinse additive that is eroded during a spray cycle of the dishwashing machine, thereby providing a rinse additive solution to the water in the dishwashing machine. Other domestic washing machines, typically the top of the line models, have a built-in liquid rinse additive dispenser. The rinse additive dispenser is wired to a timer in the dishwashing machine to inject a pre-set amount of liquid rinse additive into the final rinse to minimize spotting and enhance drying.
The liquid rinse dispensers may fail after several years of use. In high/hard solids water, the user may notice a deterioration of the washing results immediately, but in softer waters, it may take a number of cycles for the deterioration of results to show up when the dispenser fails. As a result, many rinse additive injectors are neglected, resulting in the rinse additive not being added to the dishwashing machines with the resultant increase in spotting and filming and longer drying. Further, it is costly to have a repairman come into the house to service the malfunctioning dispenser, so often the use of the liquid rinse additive dispensers are discontinued by many users.
To date, applicant is unaware of any suitable liquid dispensers for rinse additive for use with a dishwashing machine which may be readily installed by the user. In U.S. Pat. No. 2,226,096, issued Dec. 24, 1940 to N. W. Halsey, a detergent dispenser for washing machines is disclosed. The detergent dispenser is activated by the water in the washing machine. However, the dispenser is not adapted for repetitive dispensing of detergent without refills after each use.
In a non-related field, that of dispensing a concentrated liquid into a tank of a toilet, dispensers are used to repeatedly dispense a small level of liquid with each flush of the toilet. One example of such a dispenser is seen in U.S. Pat. No. 3,841,524, issued Oct. 15, 1974 to Arvard Easter. The automatic liquid dispenser is for an inverted bottle of concentrated liquid. The dispenser has a top seal and a bottom seal, such that when the float is lowered the bottom seal opens, allowing the liquid within a hollow member to be dispensed. At the same time, the top seal is closing, preventing additional liquid from entering into the hollow member.